Merlin and The Sands Of Time
by MerlinWatsonBridger
Summary: A sorcerer's game leaves Arthur, Gwaine and Leon against the clock. The sands are running out. This is mainly an adventure and friendship story however is slightly hurt/comfort.
1. Chapter 1

Just a few things i should tell you about this story: It is set after series 2 however there are some changes, these would be that Arthur is much more like his own king now- basically does rule Camelot- Also they have all ready met Gwaine :) Hope that makes sense- enjoy!

A hunt- just what they had all needed. After the raging attacks on Camelot from the dragon, Arthur had just managed to start getting everything cleared up, and it looked like Camelot was on track for a full recovery. It was pain to see his kingdom in such ruin, and at the cost of so many lives he wasn't sure that his guilty conscience could handle it. Still- they had all pulled through. Some better than others, Arthur reminded himself, as his mind flashed back to how Merlin had been these past few days. Happy as normal, but at the same time-not happy. It was a happiness that didn't fill the eyes, and made everything look more painful if to be completely honest.

He had taken only a small company with him on this trip- himself, Merlin, Gwaine and Leon. He was glad for the company, and to finally get away from all his stressed advisors and issues was a good way to clear his head- clear everyone's head. He knew he had been taking his stress out on Merlin which had granted him the silent treatment from the boy; in fact, he hadn't seen him as much as normal. However, from what Gwaine had told him the boy had been working tirelessly for him, and then he had been doing anything he could in the lower town. _No wonder Merlin looks exhausted_ Arthur reflected from his horse.

He did realise that this wasn't the safest time to be wandering outside of Camelot- as soon as word had spread about Camelot being weak there had been repeated signs of Bandits or mercenaries nearer the borders. He would have to remember not to travel to far out; nevertheless he was glad for the space.

Evening came quickly upon the travellers. They stopped near the Hyrulian waterfall in order to have a good supply of resources and some cover.

"What's for supper Merlin?" Gwaine asked hungrily.

"Nothing special I'm afraid Gwaine- the cook was fairly limited on stock so I took what I could within reason. However, this might be something to keep you going." Merlin explained before cheekily handing an apple over to Gwaine

"Aha! My friend you know me well" Gwaine laughed and was content to leave Merlin with the boiling stew as he shared some alone time with his apple.

Leon had unpacked the horses, leaving everyone's bedroll in circles around the fire, and Arthur had just come back from collecting water.

"Just in time" Merlin exclaimed "Food's ready!"

They all tucked in to a hearty stew that night, one of which Arthur was impressed by. Everyone ate nearly two fillings before lying down beneath the stars. A couple of hours later and Arthur was still lying there trying to fall asleep. He just couldn't shake off a feeling… He wasn't sure what it could be. Before he could think any further a movement came from the side of him. He was ready to pounce- before he realised it was only Merlin. Why wasn't he asleep? He had certainly looked exhausted enough. Merlin shifted around the knights and came to sit near the fire with his back to Arthur- his head lowering down to be clutched in his hands- with a slow motion of rubbing his face as though it was some comfort.

With his head in his hands Merlin felt quite calm, he didn't think about his father at all- for fear of being encased in the darkness he could feel. It was better that way, his thoughts would be distracted and he wouldn't have to dwell on such things. He hadn't even known the guy- why should he be upset? He answered his own question there, before cursing himself for thinking of Balinor again. However, Merlin had to be honest- he was feeling better. This hunt hadn't been like normal and having space was a bonus; all over Camelot there were constant reminders of what he let happen, whereas out here it was calm, and it was peaceful, and there was no impending decisions between life and death. At first he hadn't been sure as to how he could go on- not with the amount of people he seemed to be losing, but through viewing Arthur's strength and with a little support from Gaius he had just about got himself back on top. He just wouldn't think too much on anything right now.

Head feeling a lot clearer, he reached for a stick and began poking the fire.

"Merlin" Came a voice from behind him "Would you mind not spewing embers on me?" A smile tugged at Merlin's lips with this comment, turning to face Arthur he sarcastically replied

"OH, I'm so sorry sire, what was I thinking?"

"Probably not a lot knowing you Merlin."

"Better thoughts then you turnip head!" Merlin exclaimed.

"You shouldn't be thinking at all anyway- why aren't you asleep?" Arthur asked.

"Could ask you the same question."

"Touché" Arthur admitted his defeat there before rolling on his back to look at the stars.

"Merlin- do you think Camelot will be okay?" He asked, all sincerity in his voice.

"Of course- you have only been gone a day sire" Merlin joked.

"Very good Merlin… No I meant after this, after the dragon?"

Sensing this to be serious, Merlin took his time to think before answering.

"What happens to us now will only shape us in the future" At Arthur's questioning glance, he expanded "Dragon attacks don't happen often, but one happened to Camelot. That has happened in our past, and now it has shaped us into becoming stronger, and even being immune to it in the future. With each day Camelot grows as a city into something stronger and full of more hope than before. With your leadership, Arthur, I think Camelot is in safe hands."

Both took a minute in silence before Arthur whispered "Thank you Merlin".

With a small smile from both of them, Merlin walked back over to his bedroll and settled down.

"Goodnight sire."

"Goodnight Merlin."


	2. Chapter 2

Birds chirping, that was the sound that woke Arthur up- strange because normally it was to Merlin's chirping. Pushing himself upwards he saw that no one else was awake, despite the time of day. It was, judging by Arthur's calculations, just before midday. The fire had died out completely, but a small ember smouldered there, reminding Arthur of the conversation he had shared with Merlin last night. The wisdom from him had astonished Arthur, but he had soaked in every word. That was another strange thing- Merlin didn't appear to be in his bedroll; lazy idiot couldn't even be bothered to start a fire… Maybe he was checking on the horses?

Arthur got up quietly and strode over to the trees with the attached horses- apart from being slightly on edge they were as normal- however, still no Merlin. The strange feeling Arthur had felt yesterday was sinking back into his system but Arthur wouldn't panic yet- for all he knew the boy could be down at the stream. Yes, he thought, that's where he must be. He strode- with a quicker pace this time- round the corner getting closer to the sounds of running water.

"Merlin?" He called out, but there was no one there. Taking a deep breath, Arthur was about to turn around and go back to camp, hoping that by some chance Merlin would be there. It was then that he saw something that made his stomach drop.

A small tatter of Merlin's neckerchief had been stuck on a branch- pulling it off Arthur noticed the small note strapped to the fabric- "You want him? Come get him." It took a moment of Arthur re-reading the same sentence over before scrunching it in his hand and running back to camp.

Dark. Darkness that wouldn't allow Merlin to see whether he actually had his eyes open or whether they were closed. He couldn't feel anything around him, giving the impression that he was just floating- not even in water, just floating between the sky and the ground. This feeling went on for a while and yet when it came to an end it closed off to feel like merely seconds. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was completely disorientated.

"That one, that'll do- not too dark not too light it'll be juuust right." The creepy singsong voice made Merlin shiver before he finally felt the ground again. Opening his eyes he was met with the deathly pale face of a distorted man; hollow as a lifeless tree, with crease lines at every corner that ran deep into his features. However, the thing that burnt into Merlin's mind was the cat-shaped silvery black eyes that pierced his very soul.

"Sorry to be rude" The man said, licking his charred lips "But I want you to sleep for a little longer" Merlin's body slumped to the ground of the cell, his eyes desperate to stay open "Sleep now, sleep I say!" Merlin knew no more.

Arthur could not remember a time when he felt so helpless- not even in the recent events of the dragon's attack had he felt like this. Of course, it would have to all revolve around his manservant. After finding the note he had stormed back, woken all the knights and with their help they had packed away camp in record time and set off towards the last place Arthur knew Merlin had been- the river.

"Damn them" Gwaine swore again "What did Merlin ever do?" He hadn't calmed down since Arthur had woken him up and it didn't look likely that his rage was about to end. Then again, the Irish man had a point- Merlin hadn't done anything to deserve what was happening. That only enraged Arthur further; in fact it was Leon who was most calm at the moment, if it wasn't for him then they would be all over the place.

"Look" He pointed as he led the group, there on another branch was the second torn piece of the neckerchief "It looks like they're leaving us a trail" and with a grim face they continued forward.

His eyelids fluttering open, Merlin's pupils adjusted to the light. His vision fell upon a dingy looking cell. There was a chair in the corner and a small window filtering in dingy light. It wasn't the most threatening place in Albion, but it did give Merlin the chills.

"So sorry about your…accommodation." A voice crept into Merlin's ear.

"Don't worry, I've seen worse" Merlin bit back.

"Now now, I don't want to hurt you unless I have to…"

"Who are you? What do you want with me?"

The pale face from earlier appeared at the chair in the corner. Nothing had changed, except now Merlin could see the whole image- he was a very distorted creature with a hunched back and arms that didn't seem to stay straight. Instead, they bent off into different directions. He could see the man had green tinge to his flesh, yet this contrasted to such a pale face. Odd bumps and lumps were present all over him with no apparent pattern. Merlin had never seen anyone like this.

"One for introductions are we? Well then seeing as we're being polite- I am Eernseth, nice to meet you. You would be…?"  
"Merlin- but I presume you already knew that one."

"Yes I'm afraid I have the superior knowledge here- although you're braver then I assumed."

"Well, don't judge too quickly- I'm sure there's lots of things you don't know." Merlin bravely said thinking of his magic

"Isn't that funny?!" The man exclaimed leaping from the chair and seemingly almost doing a jig before he suddenly froze and his voice deepened " You are right- there I may not know a lot about you, but I know how to use you and how to keep certain things from being used" he finished with an air about him suggesting he knew more.

"I don't understand."

"Pft" The man impatiently huffed "Of course you don't silly people like you wouldn't… which is why if you will just co-operate with me then nothing bad has to happen."

"I would never co-operate with the likes of you" Merlin glared in defiance.

"Fine, whatever" The man almost stomped out but he froze again and swiftly came right back at Merlin, grabbing his jawline and angling it towards his mottled face " I know you're brave, boy, but bravery won't earn you anything around here." With that he pushed Merlin's head away and slammed the door shut, cackling as he went.

Seeing him go down the hall Merlin knew this was it- he had to get out now to protect Arthur and that meant using his magic. Calling forth the power of the Old Religion, Merlin recited the spell he knew that would bend the bars that held him- pushing his hands forward he felt a moment of utter force before- nothing? Staring down at his hand in utter shock Merlin started to panic, he couldn't use his magic. How was that possible?


	3. Chapter 3

More and more neckerchief pieces had been found as they journeyed that day, and Arthur held onto every single one of them. It seemed the trail would never end, and after all- they could find it to be a hoax with nothing at the end. However there was something about this that kept spurring Arthur on.

It was beginning to turn to dusk again and each man slumped with the knowledge that Merlin had still not been found. Hope was leaking out of all them, that was until a larger chunk of neckerchief was spotted- tied to the trunk of the tree and with it a note:

'Come come just a little further over- for your friend's end is getting closer.'

"They're a maniac… How could someone possibly…?" Gwaine tried to say but was shaking violently with rage.

"Alright calm down, from what this is saying Merlin still has time, and I don't think they'd let us find him dead. It's obvious that this is all a trap. Do you really think it's wise to continue sire?" Leon said.

"I know Leon- I think we've all known that from the start. But this is Merlin we're talking about, and I will not just leave him." With agreed nods the trio set off once more.

"Meerlin, wakey wakey!" Everything was fuzzy. He tried to look upward but was startled by the features of the pale man- his eyes looked to be burning with silver adrenaline. "Today's the day!"

"What are you talking about?"

"My spies have spotted your friends entering my domain. They are soon to encounter this castle and, naturally, yourself" The man wouldn't stop smiling.

"And then what? What do you want with my friends?" Merlin demanded.

"Come now- that's private I'm afraid… although, seeing as we are expecting these guests, I will need to make you look more presentable."

Merlin didn't even get a chance to ask what that meant before the man started a monotonous chant- it was of the Old Religion, but a foreign spell to Merlin. The words were too quick for him to understand. However, looking down at his body he saw black, blue and red colours form around his frame as bruises and cuts of all sizes drew themselves onwards. Dropping his head after the spell, the man glared at the floor for a moment before revealing an evil, toothy smile. Merlin looked between the man and his new bruises in shock.

"There now- isn't that much better? And exactly where I wanted them to be- oh don't worry I wouldn't coat your whole body in them, just enough to frighten your friends… You see Merlin if you want to use magic in a place like this you need to stay away from certain people" He cackled.

"But-" Merlin started before recoiling in on himself in agony.

"Oops- almost forgot" the man snapped before coming to kneel before Merlin "Although I didn't physically touch you, you're going to feel each and every one of those as though men were punching them into you a thousand times over!... Isn't that exciting?" The man gleefully laughed before once again slamming the door shut on Merlin, who screwed his eyes up in pain, senses of confidence and hope washing away from him with every second.

They were here. Arthur could feel it, as well as seeing the various red eyes in the bushes content on staring at the trio as though they were food.

"This is definitely the place" Gwaine whispered.

"Uh-huh… Just wonder what exactly this madman has in store" Arthur thought aloud.

"That's the plan then? Just see what happens?" Leon questioned, not liking their strategic weakness.

"I don't know what else to do Leon; we don't know what this person is capable of and where Merlin is… Let's just go in with one goal" Arthur ordered.

"And that would be what Princess?"

"Getting Merlin back."

Emerging from the undergrowth, all men turned astounded heads as they sized up the structure in front of them- it wasn't a huge castle and it seemed to have a fairly simple design. This simplicity was contradicted by the huge lake of fire that surrounded the castle, orange and red flames licking the walls and spitting out embers which made the surrounding fields glow.

"Merlin's in there? This person sure does know how to look threatening." Gwaine complimented.

"This is no time for jokes Gwaine. The real question is- how do we get in?" Arthur said.

Whilst the men considered their options they failed to spot the group of Eernseth's men approaching them and within minutes they were surrounded.

"Oh, crap."

"Shut it Gwaine"

"You three are to be escorted into our ruler's castle. Follow me" It was ironic, really- said man spoke as though they had an option. Yet with several swords digging in to them all they could do was march behind the burly man leading the way, right into the mouth of the flames.

"Time to shine" Eernseth wickedly remarked as Merlin was pulled into the throne room "I bet you can't wait to see your friends again" However, when this sparked no reaction from Merlin the man's amused smile faltered and he marched towards the manservant. Grabbing his chin again, he made sure he had the boy's eye contact before yelling "YOU WILL ANWSER ME!"

Arthur, Gwaine and Leon were mentally preparing themselves for what was coming. Tension was building up, they were inside now and had stopped before two mahogany doors. Shouting was clear to hear from the inside and Arthur knew exactly who would be the victim of said shouting. The doors flew open just as the man finished, so everyone witnessed Merlin… who spat right in his captor's face.

Gwaine knew a good shot when he saw one, and whistled appreciatively.

Merlin hadn't been thinking straight. He had felt Arthur's presence straight away, but seeing that man's face again up so close again had shaken him to the core- of course he hadn't showed that because that's exactly what that man wanted. However, he also knew keeping an eye on things would be key if he was to keep his friends out of danger.

With a disgusted stare, Eernseth whipped his hand from Merlin's face, pushing the boy to the floor and drawing his hands up to his own face, hastily wiping away the contents that had been spat there. Arthur was impressed by his manservant's actions; however, as funny as it had been, he knew it would only turn out worse for Merlin. Eernseth stormed towards his guards, ordering them to restrain Merlin as he bent down and whispered in the boy's ear, before blowing a punch to his stomach. Gwaine tried to race forward in anger but Arthur and Leon held him back, knowing that things would only get worse. Everyone came to staring as Eernseth composed himself before dramatically turning around to face the three 'guests'.


	4. Chapter 4

"Welcome, such a pleasure to meet you- I trust you had a safe journey."

"Pleasant enough until you kidnapped my friend!" Gwaine snarled.

"Now now- I think you ought to remember who it is who has your friend."

"Please- just tell us what you want." Arthur spoke.

"Patience, patience- we haven't even introduced ourselves yet- Merlin here was very good at that" he said, smiling wickedly.

Arthur took a deep breath, pushing down all bad thoughts as to what that phrase could mean and tried to see past this man's madness. "I am Arthur Pendragon, this is Gwaine and Leon." he clarified.

"That's Sir Gwaine to you." Gwaine corrected. Arthur shot Gwaine a warning look, before suddenly spotting Merlin. He gave him a quick up and down, at once noticing bruises and fresh cuts- what had happened?

"Ah, of course sir knight! Oh- and I see you have noticed a few of Merlin's… accidents. You see, where I come from, accidents always happen- whether you've done wrong or not."

"You did this to him?!" Leon demanded.

"Why I ought ta.." Gwaine started, fist clenched in one hand.

Merlin was still being held by the guards, and several other men stood between him and his friends. However, he managed to catch Arthur's eye and sent the "Don't worry- I'm fine" look, which only caused Arthur to roll his eyes. He saw determination flare in his king's eyes as the message of "We will get you out." was sent across. Merlin was grateful for that, but the more he thought about it, the more his head seemed to buzz. The edge of his world was becoming fuzzy, and was it unusually hot in here?

Gwaine, of course, hadn't been able to punch the living daylights out of this guy like he'd wanted to, but he was stirring up the tension in the room that broke through all fake welcomes from earlier.

"Give Merlin back." Arthur stated- not loudly not angrily but with much authority.

The man only sniggered before saying "But then you'd miss the game! The wonderful game that I've had planned out for quite some time now. The game that you won't want to miss out on- after all, it is the game that decides whether your friend there lives or dies."

"WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? What have YOU DONE WITH MERLIN?" Arthur was losing it. He had held his patience with this man for too long.

"Well Mer-lin why don't you tell us" The man replied smarmily "How are you feeling?"

"Fine" Merlin announced, straightening his posture as he did so.

"DON'T LIE BOY…"  
"Leave him ALONE!" Came Gwaine's shout.

"Come now Merlin- isn't your head rather fuzzy? Aren't you burning up? Can't you feel an itching, venomous thump throbbing through your veins? After all, didn't I I warn you about staying away from certain people? They could give you poison you know."

Merlin's expression gave everything away- the man had described every single one of his symptoms. Merlin's face had turned to utter paralysation, his breathing had even increased. He didn't even need to say anything.

Gwaine had released a long angry breath before placing his hands around his head and pacing as far as he could within the boundaries of the guards. Arthur stepped forward.

"Alright- you seem to have us caught. We'll play your game."

"No! Arthur-" Merlin tried to argue but he was silenced by the kings glare- and the increasing throbbing.

"How do we play?" Leon quizzed apprehensively.

The man skipped around for a little out of glee, laughing to himself like a madman- his body a monstrosity of malformed shapes.

"You have 1 hour to search this castle and grounds for specific ingredients- combine these ingredients and you'll have the vital remedy needed to cure poor Merlin" At the mention of Merlin's name heads turned to look in his direction. The sight wasn't good- Merlin had slumped into the guards' hold, breathing heavily.

"Find the vial and bring it back here."

"That's your game? How can we even trust that this remedy will work?" Arthur huffed.

"It doesn't look like you have much choice, young King."

"But how can we trust you'll give us an hour- it could be a complete bluff" Leon added.

"Ah, well lucky for us, Merlin can help there… You see his condition will become fatal in 1 and ten minutes. However, so that I don't cheat and so that you don't have any chance of getting to him, I've got the perfect solution."

"Why can't you leave Merlin out of this?"

"Otherwise you would just take him and go- where would the game be? How would that be any fun?" scoffed Eernseth.

"If you hurt him…"

"Ah well sir knight- that all comes down to your timing…" And with that the man gave a wide toothy laugh before starting a dark chanting. Lights dimmed across the room, winds blew violently and a shadow storm flew towards Merlin in a complete fury. No one could see a thing- pieces of untouchable black shadow latched themselves everywhere until the storm died down. From his crouched position on the floor, Arthur stood up. What the hell was that? Helping Gwaine and Leon up, he was about to speak when Leon, who was looking behind him, whispered his name with dread. Swivelling round, Arthur was witness to the state of his manservant. Really- how did he get himself in these predicaments?

"Isn't it marvellous?!" Eernseth cried. "Now we can keep track of time and tabs on Merlin."

Eernseth's great idea appeared to be trapping Merlin inside a giant sand timer. Merlin's eyes were darting about to every angle, noticing that there was no clear way out and that the flow of the sand heaped above him had yet to start. He began to feel quite exposed and claustrophobic, as he was stared at by everyone in the room, and being the victim in all of this, as well as the fact that- well, to be honest, dying by sand terrified Merlin. His hands placed against cool glass, he tried to call for his magic, however, like before it didn't gone down well and it resulted in Merlin feeling much fainter than before, his magic feeling too far away for comfort. Seeing that there was no physical or magical way to break the glass Merlin's hands fell back to his sides.

The worry in Merlin's eyes had become more apparent now even to Leon, who wasn't particularly close to the manservant. He was concerned completely and only wished that they'd be able to find everything in time. Gwaine, from knowing Merlin as his best friend, was picking up on several different signs he could see- the poison was obviously kicking in as Merlin seemed to spend more effort holding himself up, he was clearly hurting slightly from the previous wounds- however, the complex determination that his friend was showing, even if it was just to not give into this man, renewed Gwaine's faith. Arthur held a certain respect for Merlin; he could pick up on the brave face Merlin drew on. The fact that the poison had been affecting him for longer than they realised had him worried, but he just knew that they would all get out of this. They had to.

"You can't do that to someone- that's not humane!" Arthur claimed, outraged.

"I'm afraid these are just the rules" Eernseth claimed "Now that sand timer will fill up in an hour, therefore you have 1 hour to gather the ingredients before he suffocates and then the extra ten minutes to feed the remedy to him before that kills him!"

No-one said anything as the plan of action formed out between them all. This man had caught them and the only way out of this was to play his game.


	5. Chapter 5

"Ready, are we?" The gleeful man asked.

Merlin looked anxiously between all of his friends, however he only managed to catch Arthur's eye. He tried to tell him not to bother, and that this whole thing could be a trap to kill them all, but Arthur's look outdid his- too much determination and…anger? Merlin could see a raging temper within his king which confused him. He changed his message to match his king's anger with pure determination, showing that they would do their part and he would do his- staying alive.

_That idiot_, Arthur mused to himself, _stupid self-sacrificing dollop head…_

Since when had he started copying Merlin's insults? That didn't matter right now, he reminded himself as he broke eye contact with his manservant and addressed Eernseth.

"Let me just get this straight- we have 1 hour to gather ingredients. What ingredients, and where are we gathering them?"

"Well, right here in the castle grounds, of course, young king- as for ingredients, you will need: ONE- a rose with petals as black as death. TWO- blood as silver as ice. THREE- scales as pure as gold." The man proclaimed dramatically, holding up three fingers- one for each ingredient. "I think that's all you need to know… and we shouldn't keep Merlin waiting any longer… I hope you can keep your time, boys. " He proclaimed with much sarcasm "The game starts… NOW" With a flick of his hand the sand spewed forth into the bottom half of the timer, the 3 knights sprinted across the hall and Eernseth laughed wickedly. It had begun.

They hadn't really thought about what their plan was. Instead, they just sprinted for a good 5 minutes before Arthur yelled at them to stop.

"We can't just run and hope we bump into some of the ingredients. This man's being tactical, so we need to have a strategy ourselves."

"I agree sire- I just don't see how we are going to get all 3 in just an hour."

"I do" Gwaine spoke out "Split up."

"Gwaine- this is a foreign place to us, we have no idea what we could run into!" Arthur reasoned.

"And we also have no idea how Merlin's faring in that timer… if we want to save him we need to split up."

"And if we all end up collecting the same ingredients?" Leon asked.

"We divide them up- Gwaine can take the blood, Leon take the scales and I'll take the flower." Arthur ordered.

"Aww, don't strain yourself, will you, princess- you know, with your flower picking?" Gwaine teased.

"Shut up Gwaine" Arthur smiled, and paused for a second.

"Right- just make sure you go back to Merlin within the hour." He finished "I believe in you both." With nods of respect shared, each person sprinted off in a different direction.

_10 minutes gone_

The sand was neither pleasant nor irritating. Although, it had been hard at first to find a good place Merlin could stand without it falling into his eyes, mouth and nose. So far, the sand had only collected as far up to his ankles. He was feeling confident that he would get through this, if only there weren't the continuous effects from the poison beating down on him from the inside. He figured the trick was not to think about it, so he took to counting the grains of sand.

"Bored, Merlin?" A voice came from behind him.

Without turning around Merlin replied coolly "A little, not much to do in here."

"What a shame." Eernseth remarked, walking round to face Merlin, placing his malformed hands on the glass "Just think- I won't be able to even see you soon- all that sand would've trickled down, bit by bit, covering and coating you completely until you won't be able to breathe" The details of Eernseth's talking had chilled Merlin to the bone, and he couldn't help certain pictures of what that would feel like corrupting his mind.

"Ah, but don't dwell on that- your friends are searching for your survival right now. Shame it won't be easy for them." Eernseth whispered breathily.

"What did you do?" Merlin demanded.

"My games are never easy Merlin, and this one is no exception. They will each have their challenges."

"I believe in each of them. You will be the one to lose this game" Merlin spoke defiantly.

"We'll see" The man replied before sauntering away.

_15 minutes gone_

Arthur's eyes stung. He had held them open and concentrated for what felt like a while now. So far, he had managed to find the kitchens and then a servant room- searching every drawer he only found emptiness. After kicking at an unfortunate shelf in anger, he was just calming down when he heard a shuffle. Strange- there was no one around… There! He spun around. The noise- it was moving. Unsheathing his sword, Arthur's senses prickled with tension at the sudden silence that had formed. Feeling every hair on the back of his neck stand on end, he took a step forward before CRASH.

What looked like a demented, jet black dog jumped out from behind a table. It was one of the largest dogs Arthur had ever seen, and it was viscous, leaping toward him like a magnet. Arthur only had time to roll towards one side as the dog- if the creature could be described as such- wedged its teeth into the chair Arthur had been in front of. The king, after scrambling to his feet, side stepped his way closer to the door. As he watched, the dog tore itself from the chair. Once again, it came at him, biting down on his sword this time, and Arthur wrestled it side to side, attempting to bat the dog off however he could. With paws and claws swiping everywhere, Arthur had no choice but to retreat. Walking backwards, the dog came towards him again, stalking him. It was only a matter of time before- POUNCE- the dog leaped into the air and came down hard on Arthur. Managing only partly successfully to block himself with his sword and arm, Arthur could feel claws in his skin, but he only relented by shoving the dog off him. Sword now in position, his stance ready, he faced down with the dog. As he swatted once more and manically fought, the dog sprinted at Arthur whilst Arthur took to jumping over him. With this jump, Arthur raised his blade above his head and brought it down hard on the dog's body. With a final whine, the dog relented and fell down- dead.

Leon was sweaty. He had run for a good while now, only finding miles and miles of endless corridors. Every door he tried was locked. This game was making no sense, and there seemed to be no gold scales anywhere either. However, he knew he couldn't give up; Merlin was the one man who had changed all of their lives and he wasn't even a noble or knight. Class- what a stupid concept, Leon pondered as he tested another locked door. He didn't think class should be something that was relevant in society- someone like Merlin deserved to be respected, but apparently that's not how the rules worked. He would never understand it. A breeze broke Leon's thoughts, and jolted him back to the present. It was cold- too cold. That meant there had to be something up ahead. Speeding up a little, he came towards the next door, but again only found it locked. However, he knew there was something here. Just as he looked away, a darker section of wood on the door caught his eye- it looked like this part had been covered over. Taking his dagger out, he chipped away at the darker wood- finding it amazing when his arm broke through into a hole just big enough for his hand to reach in and fish out a note. It was weird- this note looked centuries old, and the hole was covered in cobwebs, and yet hadn't this game had only just started? He rolled out the paper, revealing only two words.

"Look Up."

After a few second's consideration, the wild-haired knight raised his head, taking in a breath as he saw that there was some kind of trap door on the ceiling… that was where he needed to go… the only problem was- how would he get up there?

_25 minutes gone _


	6. Chapter 6

Gwaine was thoroughly conscious of the time he had been spending. You see, in each room there was a small sand timer in the wall- representative of the larger one Merlin was trapped in. Merlin- that was the one thought consuming his mind. That, and Eernseth- he couldn't believe the madness of the guy. Sure, Gwaine had done things he wasn't proud of, but he would never put people through an ordeal like this. He was surprised enough at how Merlin was dealing with this- much more bravely than he' expected, especially after everyone's nerves had been shattered by the dragon. That's why he was here- he wanted to help his best friend.

Speaking of which, he had now spent 25 minutes wandering around what he assumed was the castle gardens. Although it was hard to tell- every damn bush looked the same. Hadn't he seen that statue before? He had to pull himself together. Running his hand through his hair and swishing it out of his face, he strode forward with meaningful steps- if he was in the garden then he may as well look out for that black flower that his highness was supposedly finding. He could only hope that the princess hadn't already got there. He was painfully aware of the time still ticking; there were no rooms with hourglasses in the gardens, but apparently Eernseth had found seeds for a hourglass plant somewhere.

Arthur was trying to regain his breath. That dog fight had lasted longer than he realised; in fact, glancing up at the sand timer, he guessed that 10 minutes had gone by since he came through. That meant it was about half past- God, he was running out of time, and he hadn't even found one thing yet. Gathering himself, the young king looked around for his sword, absentmindedly placing it back in its sheath before he remembered he should probably wipe it first. He drew his sword, and … What? Glancing down he saw glistening silver- silver liquid? THE BLOOD! Arthur laughed in glee- he had found one of the three, and he had almost let it slip away. Kneeling down beside the dog's body, he took a vial from his pocket and collected as much blood as he could from the stab wound. It was strange seeing such a glistening, pure colour come from something so evil. With his vial now filled, Arthur came from the room in higher spirits. Half of the time was gone, but he had one vital ingredient.

_30 minutes gone _

He had jumped, he had leaped, he had reached, but there was just no getting to that bloody trap door… There must be another secret. He circled the trapdoor from below. If this was some twisted game, there had to be some kind of trick to getting access to it. He took another step, and suddenly his perspective twisted. Leon had been turning and pacing for so long that he had ended up at the right angle that allowed him to see the trapdoor in a different perspective- an optical illusion. The trap door looked as though it was now connected to stairs that had been built from the wall, each little alcove from this angle made to look like a jutting step so with nothing to lose he tried one of the vertical stairs finding it very strange when each of his hairs stood on end- he was literally defying gravity how on earth could he stand on a side of the wall? He was sure that magic was involved in this somehow. So with the blood rushing to his head Leon braced himself to hike further up reaching the trapdoor.

Hissing was clear to hear as Leon's vision adjusted to the darkness. He was completely unaware of the space he was in- he couldn't see a thing. Feeling for the wall around him, he was able to calculate that the room was a small box shape; it seemed hardly big enough for any extravagant traps, so Leon boldly took a few more steps forward. The hissing that he had dismissed at first had now returned, and it didn't sound like a friendly hiss. Preparing his sword for combat, Leon took another step forward before he felt the hiss breathe right onto his face.

"Tick, tock, tick, tock" Eernseth sung "Tick, tock, the sand will flock and Merlin's life drains with the clock" This wasn't the first time Eernseth had started to rhyme- in fact he seemed rather good at it. Merlin had listened to changes in verse after verse for the past half hour. He was trying to forget about the sand that was now steadily rising to his chest- his lower half was completely covered and if he wanted to move it required a lot of effort. In fact, his form was almost frozen. Yet he hadn't lost any faith in his friends they would make it even if they left it up till the last second. Taking a deep breath, he attempted to focus on Camelot and what he would tell Gaius when he got back.

_40 minutes gone_

For some reason it was getting darker and darker as Gwaine travelled further into the overgrown gardens. The shrubbery seemed to loom down on him, making him feel irritatingly small. He had started by wandering around the outside of the gardens, but now he was approaching the heart of the gardens. It seemed that with every step he took, more light seemed to be lost from the world. It had taken him a while, but he could sense that he was on the right track. There was no point going back now when he could be on to something. Turning a corner, the darkness came closer like a torch was being blown out every time he took another step. After a while, he spotted an entrance in the bushes up ahead, so Gwaine picked up the pace, every fibre of his being tensing, darkness falling closer and closer… becoming ever enclosing, swallowing him whole, leaving no room for mercy when he saw it…

There- right in the middle of the gardens, was a rose. It loomed taller than most in height, with a dark green stem that bent and twisted into loops and bled with cruel-looking thorns. This pattered stem opened up to reveal a blossoming flower that had petals as dark as night.

The darkness was hypnotising. It didn't make sense. How could something be so dark, but look as though it was the only source of light? He took slow steps forward. His outstretched arm stroked the petals, feeling nothing.

He was so encased in the darkness that he didn't see the contorting roots grow out from the ground in a large bud shape with a circular opening at the top, and the vine lengthening its stem as though it was a fist ready to snatch the unaware knight.

_45 minutes gone_

Frustrated- that was Leon. Ever since stepping into the dark room, the hissing hadn't left his ears. He had chased and swiped at what he thought was the cause of the hissing, only to find nothing there. Still not able to see much, he tried to stumble his way back to the door. Perhaps if he could prop it open then there would be some light. As his hand pushed the door open, he was meet with a rather excellent view of the floor. Wait- that would mean… he was now back in the ceiling. Getting down was not going to be easy. Wary of the possibly painful drop below him, Leon slid the door open before getting a better look at the room; he couldn't see too far in front of him, but he had managed to spot a small box pushed against the wall. Reaching down, he saw the box had another old-looking message on it.

"Light me if you want to kill me."

Confused at the message, Leon pushed open the box to find 3 small matches. 3 matches that were his key to figuring this room out.

Striking the first one against the side of the box, the room was instantly aglow, and he could see a shadow scuffle around into the end corner. He was about to shine the light up to the creature before the match burnt out. This was going to be tougher than he thought.

Striking the second match, Leon tried to wave this match around, taking as much of the space in as he could in the seconds he had before the match again burnt out- not learning much and sensing that the room now only contained him and this creature. He started pondering over how to use the final match, when the written message reappeared in his head "Light me if you want to kill me." That was it! Confidently striking this time, he threw the burning flame right into the end corner, hearing a ferocious scream before the whole room was washed with a bright light. Risking opening his eyes again, Leon saw that the room was nothing special- a square like he had assumed, and a lot smaller than it seemed swathed in darkness. Circling round, his eyes fell upon the creature his match had landed on. A creature that he could now see had scales! It was weird to see this invisible creature now as plain as day. It was a lot smaller then Leon had thought, but he knew what he had to gather. Making sure it was truly dead, Leon took to his dagger, carefully cutting four scales from the monster's dragon-like back. Breathing a sigh of relief to have his ordered ingredient, Leon scampered back over to the trap door. He opened it carefully so as not to fall out, but finding that when he looked outside the door was back on the ground floor. Magic, it had to be.

_50 minutes gone_


	7. Chapter 7

Arthur had only 10 minutes left, hence why he started running. He had to get back to his manservant and hope that his companions had been able to find the other ingredients. Sprinting around the corner, he was faced with green, green and more green. An oversized plant had smashed its way through the window. Peering down through the broken glass, Arthur's eyes were immediately attracted to the jet black petals, then to seemingly enchanted Gwaine, and then to the plant vine about to crush his friend.

"GWAINE!" he yelled.

Immediately the knight started violently, gaping at the falling stem before diving out of the way. A loud thud echoed across the castle and Arthur jumped down from the window and slid down the vine to his friend's aid.

"Princess?" Gwaine asked, dazed.

Pushing his knight upwards Arthur replied "Yeah, now if I hold these plants off, you have to go and get that flower, okay?"

"Whatever you say." And with that they leapt into action. Arthur set all the attention on him by constantly smashing into the plants' veins, which, unfortunately, caused a green goo to spew out; Gwaine, on the other hand, was busy dodging the overlapping roots whilst being sure not to make any physical contact he case he was sensed. Making his way back towards the flower, the strange floating feeling started to take over again. No- he had to focus- get the plant- get the plant for Merlin. He kept repeating it in his head, and when he next looked down he held a now drooping rose in his fisted hand.

The plants were viscous, swooping down on Arthur in a consecutive pattern leaving no time to breathe. _Hurry up, Gwaine_ Arthur pleaded, whilst he swatted away another leafy vine. Glancing backwards he just about caught Gwaine's wink and head beckon giving the command to leave, both men broke out into a sprint, plant limbs wobbling and sprouting behind them everywhere. They made it out just in time not to become plant food!

_55 minutes gone_

The great hall doors were yet to be opened. Merlin could now lean his elbows on the sand that was just below his neck. His lower half had become completely numb, but he knew he couldn't move any of it because the sand had become too tightly compacted together. Additionally, there was still the trickle of sand that was flowing, making the sand level cover now half of his neck. Swallowing thickly, Merlin tried not to think about it, or the pain that was now becoming overwhelming, or Eernseth who would wickedly insult him every now and then. This would all be over soon. He just had to hold out for a little longer. His form suddenly feeling very weak, Merlin felt his head slump slightly and felt the colour drain from his face. Hot and claustrophobic, raging emotions hit him at once like they had burst through a dam. He couldn't control the dizziness that overcame him.

Gwaine and Arthur hadn't spoken but between them had managed to find the way back. They came to a halt before the great mahogany doors, solid footsteps were then heard and they gave quick tense glances to each other before giving a sigh of relief as Leon came into view. Leon was equally relieved to see them, although slightly surprised by seeing his King covered in green slime, and Gwaine holding a barbed rose so tightly his hand was bleeding heavily.

"We got the rose and the blood!" Arthur exclaimed.

"And I have the scales!" Leon added.

"That means we have every ingredient needed. Now we can show that Eernseth what's what." Gwaine said, readying his sword.

"No, Eernseth can wait- Merlin is the our priority" Arthur corrected.

And with that he pushed the doors open, ingredients and friends at his side.

_58 minutes gone_

"The mighty Pendragon returns!" Eernseth bellowed at the top of his voice "Now tell me were you successful?"

"Yes. No thanks to you…" Arthur snarled

"Oh I do apologise about that…"  
"LOOK if you two are done with the sarcasm as you can see I'm having a bit of a problem here." Merlin yelled out as Sand covered his mouth, his eyes flaring in alarm as his nose was now his only way of breathing.

"We're coming Merlin hold on!" Gwaine yelled

All 3 of them ran towards the sand timer as Eernseth looked on in amusement.

"How do we get him out?" Arthur asked aloud panic rising in his voice. The sand timer was completely sealed, glass covering everywhere and the sand climbing higher.

"Please we need to get him out!" Arthur exclaimed utter desperation plastered his face

Eernseth was quick to walk over his posture held the authority, and yet before he could say anything Gwaine dealt him a punch to the face, shouts were heard as Leon and Arthur turned to stop Gwaine. Eernseth silently stumbled upright and re-adjusting himself made a wicked smile to the knight almost pushing for more.

"Gwaine" Arthur said warningly, suddenly hearing a few muffled yells he swiftly turned back to Merlin only to see that there was no longer any Merlin- only sand. "NO, NO get him out… EERNSETH I SWEAR BREAK THIS GLASS RIGHT NOW" Arthur yelled piercing his sword into Eernseth's neck.

Giving a slight giggle Eernseth faked a curtsey "As you wish." And the glass was smashed to a thousand pieces the twinkling shards like diamonds seemingly shooting everywhere, sand flooded out like a river coating the floor around the knights before a body became visible, pushing through the sand Arthur delved for Merlin.

He pulled the young man up from under the sand only to find him unconscious- it seemed the room was silent as Arthur brushed away all sand from the man's face.

"Merlin?" He called

Gwaine knelt down with them too now- "Arthur we did make it he wasn't under the sand for long, see?" He said placing a finger on Merlin's neck "There's a pulse there but its weak , it has to be that stupid poison- we need to give him the antidote."

With a nod from Leon Arthur placed Merlin down and turned to face Eernseth "We have the ingredients… How do we make the antidote?"

"Tick tock, tick tock your time is fleeting- remember what I said? You may of got Merlin out from the sand in time but he only has another 10 minutes to live" The man sung

"So tell us the damn way to put these ingredients together then!" Gwaine spat coming face to face with Eernseth. Licking his lips and grinning evilly Eernseth pulled out a tattered piece of paper

"Well everyone it says here that a rose petal as dark as a raven should be torn to pieces before being soaked in blood as silver as the moon before being placed in a large scale… That's all I know… I suggest you get moving"

With that each man got on his own task, Leon fished out the scales from his pocket trying to find one large enough whilst Arthur and Gwaine got to soaking the torn up petal pieces.

"I take it we just shove this down him?" Gwaine asked mid-tasked

"I'm thinking so Gwaine" Arthur replied taking a quick glance towards Merlin.

Eernseth looked on with amusement, this game had been most fun in fact he was almost sad it was coming to an end- and yet he grinned because he couldn't wait to see this all end.

"I've got the largest scale I collected here" Leon exclaimed pushing the tough skin piece towards them

"Good" Arthur thanked whilst draining the liquid from the petals through his tunic. "Gwaine" He called causing the knight to hold out the scale as Arthur sprinkled the petals on top. Each man was sweating as they raced against the clock.

"Ooo… 2 minutes remaining boys" Eernseth cooed "Can't you see the life draining out of your little friend? You might want to hurry up sir Gwaine" He teased whilst blocking his way completely and cackling as he watched Gwaine's frustration grow.

"Quick Gwaine bring it over!" Arthur ordered, ignoring Eernseth knowing the knight could deal with him, and returning to his unconscious friend, swiftly lifting his head up.

"1 minute…" Eernseth's playful voice echoed around the hall

"QUICKER GWAINE" Arthur bellowed as the knight scampered over trying to be careful not to spill the precious antidote

"Coming your highness" Gwaine remarked

As he came down beside Merlin everything seemed to slow down, Merlin's mouth was held open by Arthur as Gwaine poured in every torn petal piece, heavy breaths were drawn as each of their efforts came to a close… silence grew and time passed… nobody moved and nobody spoke.

This seemed to stretch on for what felt like years, Arthur having an overwhelming amount of hope, anticipation and fear buzzing around him keeping his adrenaline high, his sense scanning Merlin all over for any signs of life.

"We were… did we, did we make it in time?!" Arthur called out

"You got the antidote down him within the last 10 seconds, however that may not of been enough time for it to work." Eernseth explained almost sadly.

"This is YOUR FAULT" Gwaine cried, tearing himself from Merlin to strutting towards a timid looking Eernseth.

"Now, now young knight wouldn't want to go against any –" But his voice was muffled as Gwaine's hand closed in around his neck. Eernseth only smiled as his breath was taken from him little by little, his strangled gasps grew.


	8. Chapter 8

Arthur should be telling Gwaine to stop, telling him that despite what this man had done to kill him in cold blood would be wrong- because that's what Merlin would tell him. The young king had not moved from his cradled position around his friend, and he felt no embarrassment for anyone seeing him behave like this either. In fact, he was rather surprised at the lack of judgement he felt. To think that Merlin, his most valued friend, was gone- well, he couldn't. He just couldn't imagine it. Merlin had been there at his side for not even his whole life, and yet it felt like he had. Arthur couldn't very well remember the times of his life that didn't have Merlin in. He had always bounced back, always survived, always been the braver one.

Arthur didn't realise his eyes were moist till he felt a coolness on his hand. He brought his bruised fingers up to his eye removing all traces of the tears. He settled there, eyes closed and hand half way over his face- content to sit there forever before…

"Quit crying on me you p-prat" Were the words that just reached Arthur's ears. A croaky quiet voice that came from the figure he was still cradling.

"Merlin?!" He asked, his tone utter astonishment.

Upon hearing this Gwaine dropped Eernseth almost immediately, leaving the scrawny man to rummage around on the floor as his lungs tried to function. The Irish man was over by the two in a flash and so was Leon who smiled at the scene that was unfolding.

"Merlin! Welcome back mate." Gwaine said, full of relief.

"So I'm not dead then?" Merlin's croaky voice asked.

"Sorry, not this time!" Gwaine chortled.

"Shame- should've known though; waking up to dollop head's face here was no heaven!"

"Merlin!" Arthur scolded jokily, before adding "Think you can stand?"  
"Let's find out" Merlin replied bravely. Arthur and Leon held his sides as his feet managed to find the floor. Feeling a little wobbly, Merlin managed to stand without looking too bad- his eyes still had a darkness to them, his face still too pale, and his posture stooped but he was alive, and to Arthur that was the thing to focus on.

"What do we do about him?" Merlin queried speaking out as he stood for himself. He glanced at Eernseth who was still huddled on the floor in a state of disorientation from Gwaine's treatment.

"I say we make him regret the day he was ever born." Gwaine commented, granting even a nod from Leon. Seeing how Arthur was distracted through fussing over Merlin, Gwaine pulled up his sleeves and readied his fists, before circling round to get this guy. A moment passed.

"Are you kidding me?" Gwaine growled "He's gone!"

"What?" Arthur asked, astounded.

"Looks like he was too quick for us." Leon explained regretfully "We should've seen that coming."  
"We can only hope that he doesn't cause any damage elsewhere." Merlin pointed out.

"Somehow I don't think we should put much faith in that" Arthur remarked and with solemn looks from everyone, the group slowly made their way out of the castle, all supporting each other as they went.


	9. Chapter 9

_Epilogue_

It had been a week since they had arrived back in Camelot, but no-one quite knew the full extent of what had happened while they were away. If Merlin was earlier to serving in the mornings because he couldn't sleep, no-one said anything. If Arthur spent more time amongst his friends, no one said anything. If Gwaine got off training because of an apparent "hand wound" then- yes, a lot of fuss was made because it was only a thorn from a bloody rose.

"Come on Gwaine- can't have you missing practice because you want to go bunk off with Merlin."

"This could be a fatal wound I'll have you know!"

"What- a splinter from a flower?"

"Oh come on; it was more like a dagger with the size of those thorns!"

"Whatever you say Gwaine, but Merlin needs to rest up and I'm sure he'd rather not have you bugging him." Arthur concluded leaving a grumbling Gwaine to his armour. Naturally, he still went back to the physician's chambers with a sack of apples to last the afternoon.

The man had affected Merlin slightly more than he would've liked. Seeing as he'd just about got himself back on top after the whole dragon thing, to then go through that hadn't been the best of things; but then again, he thought about how lucky he was to have great friends. Gwaine, of course, had been keeping everyone's spirits up, even if that did mean a surprise trip to the tavern! Leon managed to file the report on what had happened meaning that, naturally, no one would be able to find it through his complicated sorting system. Even Arthur had supported Merlin in various ways since they returned, this event had impacted them both, but had made them stronger as well. Merlin was glad for that, whether it was an increase in jokes or a reassuring pat on the back; it had all helped, even that hug from the second day of their return. Smiling at these thoughts, Merlin got back to reading his book. Having some time off to recover had been great so far, and Merlin intended to make it last as long as he

"MERLIN!" Looked like he'd have to push all other plans aside- Arthur was calling.

What they didn't know was their time with Eernseth wasn't over. He wasn't finished with a single one of them.


	10. Chapter 10

Well that's the end of the sands of time. I hope that you all enjoyed reading it and yes the mighty Eernseth shall be returning in the next story that i have started to write, sorry if it takes a little more time to get the chapters up but i like to get half way through writing the story before posting so that chapters can be easily updated :)

Thank you all! Keep your eyes peeled :)


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